Welcome Aboard
by Shadowhunter5801
Summary: "I'm not a little girl." I growled, "And I'm here to board the ship behind you, the Dauntless." Beatrice Prior has always had one dream, to become a pirate aboard the Dauntless, to escape from her current life to the ocean. But will she be able to handle her new life sailing the seas, or will it break her, as it has done to so many others? AU. Tris a bit OOC.


**Hey guys! This is an idea that I've had for a pretty long time now, and I've been dying to post it! For future reference, I know it says 1836, but some (read: most) of the dialogue will not be worded that way, it's just I don't think you would exactly see pirate ships scavenging the seas now and days. I hope you like it!**

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I pushed the few belongings I wanted to bring with me into my small bag. Tonight, I was leaving, and I wasn't coming back. I was going to the Dauntless. I should start from the beginning. My name is Beatrice Prior. My father practically ran our small coastal town in 1836 England, but we didn't live a rich life.

From a young age, my brother- Caleb- and I had been taught to give everything, to forget ourselves. But that never came naturally to me like it did to the rest of my family. I'd always dreamed of an escape from this life. That was why when rumors of the Dauntless reached my ears, I drank them up like water in a desert.

From them, I collected that it was one of the most feared ships throughout the seas, and that every year, at midnight on today's date, it docked for a mere 30 minutes, and any 18 year old could board and attempt to become one of the crew. The only problem was that those who left to find it never returned, so rumors were all those words stood to be.

I had to know, though. I wouldn't, I couldn't, keep on with this routine. It was never who I was. Plus, I only felt the freedom I'd always longed for when I was near the sea, when the ocean breeze swept my hair back, when the smell of salt filled my nose.

I looked down at my dress and sighed. The poofy, frilly skirt wouldn't do. I pulled the dagger- the one I'd found under my mother's pillow at the age of nine- out of one of the boots I had swiped from my father's closet and was currently wearing. I cut the dress until the jagged fabric came to a stop a little bit above my knee, the skirts hoop making a slight clamor as it clattered to the floor.

I drank in the sight of my plain, gray room one last time, then slipped out, closing the door softly behind. I slunk down the hall and into the parlor, but found to figures blocking me. My parents. I scanned their faces in the light of the candle I held. My mother wore a proud smile. As did my father, but his seemed more forced, sadder. I realized they had been waiting for me.

"Beatrice," Mother wrapped me in a tight embrace, "we will miss you." Soon enough, Father joined the hug, holding the three of us together. Finally, another shorter pair of arms joined the tangle of limbs.

"Mom, Dad, Caleb." I pulled back, looking at each of them, "How did you know?"

"Because we know you." I could see the tears in Mother's eyes, "I love you, Beatrice. Be safe." From there came a chorus of "Goodbye"s, "I love you"s, and soft, silent tears. At last, we all migrated to the front door.

"Come visit!" my mother called as I stepped onto the dirt path.

"I will!" I replied, though I was uncertain I would get the chance, "Goodbye. I love you all!" And with that, I turned away from my home, my previous home, sprinting into the darkness, into the unknown.

My feet pounded against the dirt road, my breathing heavy as I came to a stop at the shipyard. Something occurred to me then. I had no idea which ship was the Dauntless. My eyes flicked from vessel to vessel as I tentatively stepped out onto one of the docks.

I treaded lightly, slowly, scanning each ship and confirming to myself that each was not the one I was searching for. I stepped forward, about to look at the next ones, but my eyes snagged on something. Someone, to be more exact.

It was a tall, muscular figure, and, from what I could tell, it was male. The moon was behind the clouds, and the only light shone from my small candle, so said man's face lay cast in darkness. Something- I don't know what- drew me to him, and, before I could process what was happening, my feet moved me until I stood in front of him. His face was now visible, illuminated by the candlelight, so I could see his cropped brown hair, his eyes as blue as the water I longed to sail on. And then he opened his mouth.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, little girl?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. Anger immediately spiked in me. I guessed he was about 20, only two years older than me, yet he spoke to me as if I was a child. My fists clenched by my sides. I knew I was small, but I despised with a passion when people brought it to attention.

"I'm not a little girl." I growled, "And I'm here to board the ship behind you, the Dauntless." I don't know how I knew, I just did. I would've bet my life on it. And if I hadn't been sure, his next words would have confirmed it.

"What makes you think you can join us?" the boy raised a questioning eyebrow. "What makes you think I can't?" I shot back, setting my jaw. He lowered his face so that it was mere inches from mine.

"You are a child." His voice came out as a low growl. I completely lost it right then, my foot sweeping his legs. He fell onto his back, and I was immediately over him, pinning his arms to the ground. But there was something about the way he moved, the way he held himself, that made me confident he could've stopped me.

"Why did you let me do that?" I asked, my long blonde hair seemingly creating a curtain around our heads.

"Do what?" He tried looking innocent, but failed, lips curling into a smirk.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." I hissed through gritted teeth, "You knew what I was going to do. You let me win. The way you fell is the way only a trained fighter falls."

"And how, exactly, would you know that?" The mystery guy asked. I knew because, unbeknownst to my father and brother, my mother had trained me in combat for all of my life. It was almost as if she know I would, no, wanted me to, join the Dauntless.

"I've had a bit myself." I offered the vague answer.

"What makes you think you can join our crew?" He taunted, obviously trying to provoke me, "As I said before, you are a child. A weak, useless child. You will never be fit to be a pirate. Never." I wanted to punch him in the face. Oh, you have no idea how much I wanted to, but something told me not to. Something said that he would stop me, that this was a test. And I would not fail.

"Says the person who's currently pinned under me." It took an amazing amount of restraint to release his wrist and step off of him. I took a deep breath, then offered him a hand, which he declined, getting up on his own. Suddenly, the cocky smirk was gone, replaced by a small, but genuine, smile.

"Congratulations," his voice was softer, more gentle now, "you passed." He motioned towards the ship, to a ramp that I hadn't seen before. It went almost all the way to the railing, coming to rest against the ship's side. The mystery boy walked to the top of the ramp, then, going against what I had deemed humanly possible, he jumped the rest of the way, over the rail and onto the ship's wood.

He beckoned me forward, obviously expecting me to repeat his actions. I walked up the ramp, halting at the top. I tried jumping once, to no avail, then again, with more effort, but earned the same result. I muttered a string of words that may have earned a slap from Mother, had she been here.

"You've got a sailor's mouth on you!" Blue Eyes called from above, and I rolled my eyes. I tried yet again, and, as before, would not have made it. Well, I wouldn't have made it had it not been for the hands that grasped my waist in midair. All I could do was wrap my arms around his neck for support as he swung me over.

My feet finally met the hard deck, but the boy didn't release his hold on me. I was about to ask why when a swell gently rocked the ship. I lost my balance, but Blue eyes kept me from falling. A minute later, when I had gotten semi-used to the gentle waves, Blue eyes released me.

"What's you're name?" He asked, voice a soft whisper, "Pick wisely, you only get to choose once."

"Be-" I started, but stopped, realizing that Beatrice was no longer my name. Beatrice was the girl who obeyed her parents every command. Beatrice sat quietly at the dinner table, asking no questions, speaking nothing unless her parents addressed her. Beatrice blended into the background. I was not Beatrice. Not anymore.

"Tris." the name rolled off of my tongue.

"Well, Tris." Blue Eyes stepped closer to me. We were bathed in shadows, the lone candle I had brought lay discarded at the dock, long forgotten. So how was I supposed to know that there was a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke his next words, his lips against my ear,

"Welcome to Dauntless."

And then he was gone.

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**So, how was it? I really hope you guys like this fanfiction, and I know Tris is a bit OOC, but I'll admit, I wanted her to seem a little more badass in this! Since we're on the topic of pirates, btw, I thought I'd add something about my favorite pirate... CAPTAIN HOOK. No, not the animated Peter Pan one, this is a question for all you Once Upon A Time lovers:**

**Do you ship Captain Swan?**

**Until next time! R&R**

-Shadowhunter5801 (Yes, I'm obsessed with TMI :D)


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